Iroquois Nationals Behind the Scenes: Part 3 — Lyons on the Sideline; Emergence of Hill, Montour

The Iroquois Nationals were able to avoid two consecutive days of awful weather and emerge Sunday sitting at 2-0 leading up to an important game against Canada Sunday night.

With two games under their belts, the Iroquois appeared to be well on their way to competing for a medal. The team put on a wild display against Japan in a 24-9 win. During that game, I felt like I got what I was hoping for these past few years in looking forward to the Iroquois taking the field again and bringing together some of their very best players who’ve become elite college and pro players since the 2010 mishap.

I still haven’t had a chance to sit down with him and talk at length, but it certainly felt like a special opportunity to stand alongside Chief Oren Lyons during the Iroquois’ bushwhacking of Japan. Watching Warren Hill in the cage, I couldn't help but wonder what type of impact the Six Nations product could have next year at Syracuse University. Knowing the answer, I asked Lyons who the last Native American goalie was to start at Syracuse.

Though he didn't start until the late Tom Nims was injured, Travis Solomon — who passed away in 2010 after long, brutal battle with Lou Gehrig's disease — took over the responsibilities in net for the Orange, guiding the team to its first national title in 1983.

But long before Solomon, Oren played at Syracuse in the 1950s and is still a close friend of Roy Simmons Jr. — whose father coaches Lyons — and the great Jim Brown. A Faithkeeper of the Seneca Nation's Turtle Clan, Lyons was "adopted" by the Onondaga Nation's Turtle Clan and represents them. He also serves as the Iroquois' international representative.

Lyons is considered one of the most important figures in the Iroquois Confederacy, but he's also one of the most notable supporters of the Iroquois Nationals organization. A situation during the contest gave me an idea of his presence means to the team and the staff. Officials, working to make sure each team doesn’t have more than the allowed number of coaches and support staff (12), told the Iroquois they had too many people on the sideline.

More than once, I heard members of the team and staff: “They’re not telling him he can’t be on our sideline.” Several members of the staff immediately offered to give their credentials to Lyons so he could stay.

However, assistant GM Ansley Jemison walked over to take a look at Lyons’ credential, which as it turns out was issued through the FIL and isn’t part of the Iroquois allotted 35 credentials.

So Oren didn’t have to budge, though the swell of media members who’d flocked to the sideline to watch the Iroquois play did need to back off a bit. That’s something I’ve really tried to be cognizant of during my time here: These players are on a mission, and the last thing I want to do is get in their way, distract them, annoy them or do anything that makes them uncomfortable as they work toward their goal here.

Still, these players are all so down to earth and humble, that I’ve been able to talk with many of them casually. A guy I really enjoyed talking to late Saturday night was Tom Montour.

Montour, who attended Hagersville Secondary School in Haldimand near Six Nations, has a limited background in field lacrosse. Yet he’s emerged as a tremendous force in the middle of the field for the Iroquois with an aggressive, relentless style of play and outstanding stick skills. Pound for pound, he’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever watched. He took a rocket of a shot off the cleat against Japan, and he didn’t even flinch. He’s known in the NLL as one of the toughest transition/defensive players.

Kedoh Hill, who also attended Hagersville, has been equally impressive in his role as a long-stick midfielder, showing ridiculous abilities in handling the long pole. You’d never know that he only picked up the six-foot stick as a member of the U19 team in 2008 and then during the tryout process for he current Iroquois squad.

“When I was playing for the U19s, I was using a shortstick,” Hill said. “But the coaches said I wasn’t doing that good because I didn’t understand the game. So they gave me a long pole. And it just kind of felt easy.”

He didn’t really have an explanation for how he’s been able to pick up the position and play it at an elite level, but it certainly stems from his role as a two-way player in box lacrosse. A star forward for the Six Nations Arrows in Junior A, Hill’s become a dynamic player in recent seasons after winning the MSL’s Rookie of the Year award in 2012 with the Six Nations Chiefs. He took a year off from the NLL this past season, but plans to return to the Buffalo Bandits next season in preparation for the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships.

Hill is one of a number of players on this team who will likely be important members of the Iroquois Nationals indoor team next year.

Spending so much time around the Nationals, I’d be remiss to not mention how important family is to the players and staff. More than half of the players on the roster are fathers. Jeremy and Hiana Thompson have their children with the here in Denver, and it’s been enjoyable to see how good they are with their kids while also handling their responsibilities on and off the field with the Nationals.

With all of them being uncles, maybe that’s what makes the Thompsons so great with the dozens of young kids who flock to get their autograph anytime the brothers try to leave the hotel. Back in New York, the Thompsons’ sister, Crystal, gave birth to her first son Friday night during the Iroquois’ win over England. Jerome Thompson Sr., also known as Ji, was all smiles after the game. It’s the seventh grandchild for Ji and his wife, Deloris, who flew into Denver Sunday to see be with her sons, who have combined so far for 17 goals and 11 assists.

Brett Bucktooth, who played at Syracuse University and is now a veteran among the Nationals players, said his son, Brett Jr., refused to travel to Denver, saying he wasn’t about to miss any of his own games. The little guy’s already pretty serious about the sport and his father laughed about how stubborn he was in staying put back home with games on deck this week.

Bucktooth spoked with family members who told him Brett Jr. doesn’t play as well when he’s not there to support him. If you’re acquainted with Brett, you know how much time he spends with his son. I could sense it’s a bit hard for him to be away from him, but it’s for a good reason and an opportunity that many will never have.

I also spoke with Brett about his cousins, the Thompson brothers, whom he’s obviously watched play lacrosse for a long time. Like everyone else, he’s impressed with how the pack of Thompsons, especially this year’s co-Tewaaraton winners, have matured as players.

“They’ve grown into it,” Bucktooth said.

Talking to Marty Ward Sr., a highly respected trainer with the Nationals and the grandfather of goalie Marty Ward, he didn't mix words when talking about the big matchup looming Sunday night against Canada. He said it was clear that the Canadian team is looking to set a tone early in its games with physical play and aggressive checks, something that the Team Canada players themselves said is a part of their approach after the opening matchup against Team USA. The Iroquois, equipped with defenders like Junior Bucktooth toting hand-made hickory six-foot sticks, have sent a message of their own in their first two games.

"They want to intimidate us," Ward said of the Canadians. "But that ain't happening."